In February, I told you about the Colorado Project. In case you missed it, here’s what we are doing: turning a home into an income property…and we are doing it on the cheap! This project will be filled with lots of DIYs and good ol’ sweat equity. I shared the mood boards with you last time, and today I’m sharing the kitchen design plan.
Remember our kitchen design inspiration:
via One on Room | via Magnolia
So, first thing, let’s talk cabinets. Specifically, PAINT THE CABINETS FOR GOODNESS SAKE. These cabinets are pretty 90s when everyone was living that mid tone wood on everything life. That is fine; in fact, I still like mid tone wood. But alas, things much evolve. Here’s what the kitchen looks like now:
There are a lot of outdated cabinets out there, right? Of course. But a kitchen renovation is the most expensive thing to tackle in your home, with a bathroom renovation being a close second. In my professional opinion, it’s just not necessary. First of all, you are inconvenienced by having no kitchen over the period of a few months. Second, there is dust and noise everywhere from construction. Third, it’s insanely expensive.
In my design, we are doing things differently. The cabinets are solid wood and in perfectly good shape, so we are keeping them! We are just changing the color to Sherwin Williams ‘Dorian Gray’ and ‘Extra White’. I am all for keeping construction waste out of landfills, and unless you are very careful in taking down your cabinets so you can donate them, that’s where your materials will end up!
So, your perfectly good cabinets will just sit in the landfill because you didn’t like the color or style? That doesn’t sit right with me. Let’s give them a minor update instead. Anything you can redo instead of replace, I recommend doing. It will save you thousands and also give you a sense of pride because you did something by yourself! You little crafter, you.
In my Wabi Sabi post, I wrote about letting items age gracefully, embracing imperfection, and letting items show their life. I think the same goes for your home in its entirety. Let spaces show their long life proudly!
Colorado House Kitchen Design Plan
Because this is going to be a rental property, the homeowner wants to keep it neutral. I am pushing for a touch above “builder basic”, but even builder basic can be beautiful if you make it look custom and pair the proper things together.
Most budget makeovers are doomed if you aren’t selective about what you choose from the bottom of the money barrel. It’s totally fine to choose the cheapest item in every category, but at least make sure it all flows together. And if it doesn’t, go a little above builder basic in the categories that won’t be a big deal (like faucet, hardware, etc). There aren’t tons of square feet of these items so the cost difference will only be slight. You can balance builder basic in the large purchases with a touch above in the details. Make sense?
Most apartments I’ve seen are just a mashup of items from every clearance bin there ever was. You and your home deserve more than that. Your interior design affects your mood, ya’ll. Treating your home like an extension of yourself is the best way to achieve quality living.
Here, we are keeping it neutral, modern, and warm. Our budget is low, but we are adding a custom look wherever we can. Doing two tone cabinets makes your home look modern and custom. It requires exactly 1% extra effort because you are painting all the cabinets anyways, you just have to select a different color. I like this gray because is isn’t too cool.
This home is going to be rented to a family, so I want it to be so warm and welcoming. If you go too cool with your palette, it could get too modern and not very homey. No thanks. We are still using a modern neutral palette (white, gray, black), but giving it more of a casual vibe, even farmhouse inspired.
The flooring we are doing on the cheap so it’s actually vinyl and not hardwood. The reason this is good for rentals is because it gives the biggest design payoff for less money. It is also water and stain resistant and more durable.
I actually try to avoid vinyl whenever I can because it’s terrible for the environment and also terrible for the health of the factory workers producing it. But, sometimes it’s what’s necessary and that’s totally okay; we just select the best item we can, but it’s good to understand the materials you select.
via Lowes
This specific item looks like real teak and is so beautiful and modern. It is Shaw ‘Resort Teak’ from Lowes. Hint: if you are in the market for wood flooring, select wider planks with more detail to get a modern look.
To add to the custom look, our kitchen design plan includes tile that can pass for handmade! I loooove handmade tile, but the price tag can be a little overwhelming. Lucky for us, this gorgeous Ivy Hill tile looks like it was made by hand. The beauty of handmade tile is actually its imperfection; so this is perfect. Check out the close up!
via Lowes
Ok, so since the kitchen isn’t done yet, I photoshopped the changes and this is what the difference is expected to be. I LOVEEEEE IT. We aren’t replacing the countertops yet, but when we do, they will be a pale quartz color (marble is a TERRRRRRIBLE idea for a rental).
HUGE difference, right? I’m obsessed. The kitchen already gets great light. This round of our kitchen design, we didn’t mess with any hardwiring of light fixtures. Eventually, those box lights will be replaced and since the ceiling is vaulted, I think a pair of globe pendants would look awesome. We shall see.
Annnnnd here’s the before and after side by side. Looks great, right? All that happened is new floors, painted cabinets, and new hardware for the cabinets. SUCH a big bang for your buck. When you’re doing a budget makeover, you have to look for solutions that will make an impact.
So, what do you think? Pretty good for a rental, yes? I particularly love the Dorian Gray paint. It’s the perfect mid tone neutral gray with a touch of warmth.
Next, I’ll be updating you my plans for the fireplace and entry tile. Hint: it looks like expensive cement encaustic tile…but it’s not:-)
-Kristen
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